It all began with a Christmas gift in 1994. Billy Pyatt, a notoriously hard guy to buy presents for, fell in love with the carboys, pots, hydrometers, grains, hops, chemistry, and physics involved in brewing. His brother, Scott, fell right in with him. Their love became an obsession that could only be resolved by going pro – not an easy thing to do in 1999!
When the business plan was hatched, the Pyatts bought the assets of a defunct brewery in CO, flew out there, rented a U-haul and brought it home to NC. Of course, it stayed in a garage for three years while we searched for an appropriate building. We finally found a spot in Glen Alpine, NC. While it didn’t have any glass in the windows and ivy was growing inside, the price was right at $200 per month. There weren’t many turn key breweries back then so the pieces and parts were cobbled together from dairy equipment or hand made; but we made beer and sold our first kegs to Barley’s, Mellow Mushroom and The Bier Garden in Asheville. That produced enough money to buy some ingredients, make another batch….rinse and repeat.
Fast forward to today. Seventeen years later, we’ve grown organically into a 30 barrel Sprinkman brewhouse that is shinier than we ever imagined during those humble beginnings. We’ve created jobs in our communities, and tutored many a new brewer who has gone on to forge their own way in this industry.
The production facility/tasting room is in downtown Morganton where the 30bbl brewhouse makes the 9 flagship beers. Asheville is home to the second tasting room and brewery in the South Slope area where a 7-bbl brewery makes small batches, and where our barrel aging program is housed. Asheville’s Biltmore Village also has a conveniently located tasting room. Our fourth location, our third brewery, will open in early 2017 in the Plaza-Midwood area of Charlotte and will feature a 10-bbl brewery, tasting room, and magnificent city views.
Our products are found in eco-friendly cans and kegs in four states. And we’re proud to be one of the “old guys” in this burgeoning craft beer market.